IND vs NZ 2021: The Middle-Lower Order Is Still A Concern Because Rishabh Pant Hasn't Really Batted The Way We Wanted – Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that India’s middle-order batting unit is still a big concern for the team in the T20I cricket as wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant hasn’t quite looked good in the New Zealand series.

Rohit Sharma-led India won the T20I series against New Zealand at home by 3-0. However, in all three games, the middle-order batters of India were unable to perform well consistently. Although they didn’t get a lot of opportunities in the first two games because the top order did an amazing job, but there was a chance to shine in the third T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, as India opted to bat first, and top-order batters got out early.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra stated: “The middle-lower order is still a concern because Rishabh Pant hasn’t really batted the way we wanted him to bat. He hasn’t batted the way he can bat. You expect more from him.”

Pant played the role of finisher for India in the first two games as he finished off the match in style by smashing a four in the first game and a six in the second game. However, still, he didn’t look very confident out in the middle. Meanwhile, Chopra believes that Pant has successfully managed to crack the code in the game’s longest format. However, this has not been the case with T20 cricket.

“The runs come from his bat, he hits sixes as well but I feel he hasn’t yet fully cracked the T20 code, which is a bit of a disappointment. He is absolutely sensational in Tests, it is the format he has cracked easily but he is still figuring out his ways in the other formats,” he elaborated.

Pant registered the scores of unbeaten 17 and 12 in the first two games. However, when India batted first in the third game, Pant failed miserably and scored only four runs.

The Number At Which Shreyas Iyer Was Made To Bat, The Attempt Was To Get Him To Do Something Different – Aakash Chopra

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Cricketer-turned-commentator Chopra opined that the expectations from the no. 5 batsman Shreyas Iyer was very different, and he got the opportunity to play a good knock in the 3rd T20I, but he played a bad shot to lose his wicket.

“The number at which Shreyas Iyer was made to bat, the attempt was to get him to do something different at No. 5. He had an opportunity as well in the last match, played a bad shot to get out,” Aakash Chopra said.

Chopra further added that it’s too soon to form an opinion on Venkatesh Iyer being India’s long-term finisher.

“There were so many overs left, Venkatesh Iyer had got out in the previous over. He [Shreyas] is also not your finisher. Venkatesh Iyer has played, hit one or two sixes as well, but it is too soon to form an opinion on him being your long-term solution,” he stated.

Also Read: IND vs NZ 2021: India Is A Very Tough Side, And They Showed That Again – Mitchell Santner After 73-Run Defeat Against India In 3rd T20I

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